Residents along five streets in Paso Robles will see road repairs starting mid-next year.
And because nothing beneath the surface needs to be upgraded, construction is expected to take up to a year.
Other current projects, such as the Creston Road Corridor Project on the east side of the city, need upgraded sewer mains, fire hydrants, conduit, and more, construction is expected to last two years in total.
The city will be taking bids during the early part of next year to fix 16th, 18th, 32nd, and 36th streets. Combined, the total project will cost more than $4 million.
For longtime residents like Victoria Barron, it is a relief now that downtown has seen its improvements.
"Now they're slowly working their way this way to improve our roads over here," Barron said. "So, I knew it was a matter of time. I'm just really grateful that it's finally happening.”
Barron says she's seen a horrible accident because of the unkept roads.
“The beginning of the street actually had such big potholes that a guy beefed it on his bike and then got ran over," Barron recalled.
Barron was on the phone with a friend when she heard a scream.
"Since then, the holes have been filled, and they filled them every once in a while," Barron said. "But it's still extremely bumpy. Then it rains and then the gravel comes out, and then it just progressively gets worse and worse and worse.”
“There was an unallocated reserve balance on Measure J-20," City of Paso Robles Capital Projects Engineer Ditas Esperanza said.
J-20 is a supplemental sales tax of $8 million. Some of those funds were set aside for onboarding firefighters and police officers who have yet to fill those vacant spots.
“The salaries are not being spent as quickly as we had anticipated," Esperanza said. "So they're just sitting there. And so the council decided why not take advantage and take some of that money and do some street repairs?"
They plan to spend $4 million on this road repair project. The other $4 million according to Esperanza will remain until further notice for another project or repair.
